Happy New Year

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Windows Again!!!

This time Windows Vista! Now to me the word Vista says beautiful or a far reaching view. Obviously Microsoft and I differ on what this means...

Windows Vista is installed on my lap top. First of all I couldn't use Photoshop Elements on it and had to wait whilst Adobe quickly produced the latest version that was compatible with a Vista 64 bit system (thank you Adobe). I thought Wow great! when it arrived, now I can do all the things I want on my lap top! Maybe not after all, I noticed when trying to introduce my photos to my lap top that there wasn't enough room for them to fit. After a bit of an investigation I realised that my machine had been partitioned but the documents had not been directed to the partition.... OK I thought I can redirect the documents. The photo part crashed half way through, so I deleted the photos and redirected the empty file which worked. Now photoshop won't open because it thinks there is a corrupted catalogue file... so I can't import all my photos!

Now my lap top is only useful for browsing the web and sending email!!!

I am quite good with computers, it makes me wonder how people who don't know anything about installation and programs would get on. Way to go Microsoft!

I think I will wipe it clean and start afresh with XP.

Windows Installation!!!

Or should that be windows non installation? Not the double glazed variety this time, but Microsoft!!

Three attempts and still not working properly... The moral of the story for me is that I think I should have gone for a nice day out whilst it was being installed ;-) I was trying to do lots of things with my photographs and slide shows and non of it got done!!!

Glass of wine needed I think ;-)

Kirs... A Fairy Among fairies...

For Christmas day I would like to share with you the beautiful magic garden that my lovely friend Dani created for me :-) I will meet you there later ;-) :-)

Kirs... A Fairy Among fairies..., originally uploaded by CasallArt.

Christmas Day Corner

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The red balloon diaries *8

I would like to share this image taken by Catherine Ingram. She takes some beautiful photographs and shares some wonderful inspirational thoughts on flickr. I particularly like her red balloon diaries series! More of the red balloon diaries set can be found here.

Sending you all my love at Christmas but especially to my friends who choose or have to be alone. I am with you in spirit and will be raising my glass to you!!!

'CHEERS'

The red balloon diaries *8, originally uploaded by cattycamehome.

So this is Christmas...

...nearly ready!!!

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Time to Reflect...

...on 2007 and wish for a happy and peaceful new year.

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Amiens Photo Gallery

Finally I have managed to get my Amiens Photo Gallery together. Photoshop Elements was fighting me, it kept giving me an error message when I tried to create a panorama. To get it to work I had to uninstall the program and delete all instances of current and previous versions of the program from the registry and program files!!! Before I did all this I had to make sure I had backed up all the photographs and the catalogue.

Now I am wondering if I am going to have to go through the whole procedure again on my laptop computer???

Oh! and I seem to have volunteered to do another slide show of activities that led to the success of our campaign!

Another Busy Week

Well what was going to be a quiet Monday evening turned out to be quite busy. Some of my Trade Union colleagues in another department held a meeting yesterday to find out what their members wanted to do about proposed compulsory redundancies. There was a last minute plea for a slide show of campaign events to show to people as they arrived at the meeting, especially as we had just had our success! Well I had already got one mostly completed it just needed a few additional photos adding and some captions so people knew what was going on. Oh yes and it needed upbeat music adding... So that is how a spent my evening.

The meeting went well hundreds of people turned up and and so did the local radio and papers, so I spent Tuesday evening gathering together photos and press articles to share with the members today.

I was so tired this morning I managed to sleep through the alarm!!!!

If you are curious to know more you can check here.

Cheers :-)

Today was the day for putting up Christmas trees! Mmm not really in the mood, but it needed to be done ;-) Somehow there was a big mix up and the wrong size tree got put up in the dining room! So sit back and think mmm this makes dining in here so cramped - Aaaah! What to do next?

OK move the decorated tree to the sitting room and start again with the proper tree in the dining room... wrong colours but I am thinking it is a good omen for next year ;-)

So wishing all my friends a wonderful festive season :-) Love to you all xxx

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Hiding Ted or is that Ted Hiding???

He was looking rather cute hiding in the Christmas Tree in the hotel where I stayed in Amiens. I am sure he wanted to sneak into my suitcase ;-) :-)

Hopefully I am going to get chance to put MY tree up tomorrow!

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Save Sapphire House Campaign Montage

A montage of some of the many campaign activities that we organised and took part in to keep the jobs and expertise in Sapphire House. Although we are pleased and relieved that we won this campaign, our colleauges in other departments are still facing threats of privatisation, outsourcing and relocation.

Soon to be in Dreamland

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Good news at last :-)

Today after a long campaign it was officially announced that the jobs at Sapphire House are not to be moved to Bristol after all. The organisation will now join with ABRO, and the unique expertise will not be lost. It is difficult to explain how this feels after such a long time, but this is the right decision for everyone.

Part of our campaign was a Wrekin climb on 10th December 2005 which resulted in ABRO jobs being retained in Telford. Now almost 2 years to the day it is announced we will join with them!

"Together we are stronger"

More information on todays announcement can be found here.

And more photos of the Wrekin Climb event can be found here and here.

A Welcome Sight

Well I have just got back from a nice weekend break to Amiens for the Christmas markets. I can't say I was very inspired by the Christmas market and neither was anyone else who went. Not very Christmasy!!! The company was great and so was the food so it was good fun anyway. The weather was very windy and rainy (and at times sooo cold I needed my Eskimo coat ;-) ) but thankfully we managed to have nice crossing both ways and dodge the worst of the weather.

And it's always nice to see the white cliffs of Dover after a coach trip to Europe :-)

PS: A package has arrived from my Secret Santa ;-) I haven't investigated it yet!

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Secret Santa Update!

I have been so busy for a couple of days so I haven't been able to check before now! But now I know that my shopping on line for the BGG Secret Santa was a success. The company were wonderful with lots of sweet messages and well someone loves their prezzies soooo much they think they must have been a good boy!!! Makes me feel happy :-)

In addition to that, I recieved a strange email from a board game company I have never used, saying my order was on the way to me.... I guess I must have been a good girl too ;-)

PS: I have managed to get my Christmas cards written too...

Eskimo Weather

I am not sure if this is scary or I am looking scared!! It was supposed to be taken outside with yesterdays Oak tree in the background, but it was far to wet, windy and rainy for that! Well the coat is a treat for myself for when I next go away for a few days to France ;-)

If you click on the photograph and scroll down the page, you can see a mosaic of all the other shots I took. They make me smile :-)

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The Four Seasons

Here together the four seasons of 2007. Isn't nature amazing!!

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Autumn View

I have taken a picture of this lovely Oak tree in each of the seasons this year, so this is the final one of the series!

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BGG Secret Santa

For the past few years the Board Game Geek (BGG) have run a Secret Santa for users of the site. Everyone who takes part is allocated another person to buy a present for and you use the wish list in their profile to help you choose. The idea is that it is international and games fly across the globe or you can check out game shops local to your recipient. I took part last year and it was great fun :-) it felt good to know my recipient loved the gift I bought and I love the game I received. It is also nice to check out the threads to see who has received what and how pleased they are with their gifts.

Sadly there are those that grumble about it being too expensive or only wanting to send to someone in their own country. I say Bah Humbug to them they are missing the point!!

Anyway in a little while I am going to have fun shopping on line for my recipient ;-)

Oh! and this year they are doing Holiday/Christmas card exchange as well, so I am joining in with that too. A little bit of extra fun :-)

Me Aged 2!

Thought I would share a bit of fun with you!

This picture makes me smile so much :-)

I am looking up at my Dad taking the picture with my chubby little face and smile. And also the fact that I have stolen and am posing with Mum's handbag. I still love handbags/bags to this day and I never have just the right one I need and have a whole collection of them to choose from.

The next bag I am aiming for is a special one that goes with my tripod, which will allow my camera and other bits and bobs to fit in it too...

Maybe for Christmas ;-)))

I haven't changed all that much have I ;-)))

Dear Kirs

My dear friend Dani has paid me a great honor by giving one of my self portraits her special treatment. I just love her artwork :-) it would look would look wonderful in a coffee table book!!!

You can see for yourself by checking her out on the links below!

For comparison here is the original photograph .

Dear Kirs, originally uploaded by CasallArt.

Moo For You ;-)

Well really for my Trade Union Action group. I thought it would be a fun way to pass around the website details to others. Fun little business cards that can be ordered from MOO.

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Cosford Campaign

Whilst I was in the mood for making montages I thought I would do one for my friends and colleagues at Cosford. Images of them taking part in the PCS national strike action just a couple of weeks after finding out that their bid for the Defence Training Review had been rejected in favour of a new "Super Site" in St. Athan, Wales. Obviously with this in their minds they were out in force for the strike!

If you haven't already please consider signing their petition to No. 10 downing Street.

Candlelit Memories

It was 2 years ago today that I took part in a 24 hour candle lit vigil against proposed job losses and relocation. Wow! was it really that long ago... the memory is so vivid it seems like yesterday! The day was wonderfully uplifting with friends and colleaugues standing together against adversity.

It was frosty and cold and a thick fog kept descending rather eerily just around the building, the surrounding area was clear. I didn't do the night shift but I am told there was some wonderful headgear to keep the few stalwarts warm! By this time the cameras had given up the ghost due to the extreme cold so there is no photographic evidence!

More pictures of the day can be found in this gallery!

Snowy Sunday

Just to prove it actually did snow after the rain. Much later on in the evening it really did snow quite heavily, but I was tucked up in bed so no evidence of that ;-)

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Rainy Sunday

It might have been a rainy Sunday but it was a fun weekend! A visit to friends, followed by a surprise family visit :-)

And following this picture it wasn't really a rainy Sunday. It snowed for quite some time!!!

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Peace is every step...

This follows on from my 'Lest We Forget...' post.

Thich Naht Hahn leading a peace walk, thanks to Janet Tallarigo-Murphy for sharing her photographs on Flickr :-)

Peace is every step..., originally uploaded by imagepeace.

365 Special Days

I found this link today and thought what a lovely idea. You choose a day and tell the story for that day and the artist paints an image of the story for you. Now I just need to think of a special day!!! I like that all the paintings and stories are shown on the site. I think at the end of the project it would make a lovely book too :-)

Lest We Forget!

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WALKING MEDITATION

Take my hand.
We will walk.
We will only walk.
We will enjoy our walk
without thinking of arriving anywhere.
Walk peacefully.
Walk happily.
Our walk is a peace walk.
Our walk is a happiness walk.

Then we learn
that there is no peace walk;
that peace is the walk;
that there is no happiness walk;
that happiness is the walk.
We walk for ourselves.
We walk for everyone
always hand in hand.

Walk and touch peace every moment.
Walk and touch happiness every moment.
Each step brings a fresh breeze.
Each step makes a flower bloom under our feet.
Kiss the Earth with your feet.
Print on Earth your love and happiness.

Earth will be safe
when we feel in us enough safety.

Thich Nhat Hanh

In rememberance...

This was taken underneath the Menin Gate just after the wreaths were laid in rememberance a year ago today. It was a very moving experience...

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"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them."

Laurence Binyon

More information on the ceremony at Ypres/Ieper can be found here.

Busy Busy Busy...

Although I got to put my 'Feet Up' on Friday I seem to have been busy ever since!!!

Well putting my feet up means I have too much time on my hands and start having good ideas! Which meant that I spent the rest of the weekend revamping a campaign website for my Trade Union. Well I think I like the result, just hope everyone else does too ;-) It is now much easier for people to find what they want and search for information.

If you are curious you can view it here.

FUTAB - Enjoying Autumn

For those of you who don't know... FUTAB means "Feet up take a break" Yes I know I'm a little crazy ;-) and well I do think I deserve a break ;-)

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So how was the conference...

...It was a really interesting experience. I stayed along with the delegates (I was there as a guest) in the hotel where the conference was held . This gave me plenty of opportunity to meet new people, especially over meal times. There were some really interesting speakers and some really boring ones. So boring in fact that I had to count the patterns on the carpet to keep awake!! The slide shows of various events throughout the year were also great fun :-) and it was nice to see how other areas within the PCS function.

And apart from the conference itself we had much fun and laughter in the evenings too. All in all it was a great experience!

Packed and Ready to Go...

...but now I am back.

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Reserved Seat!

I am off to a conference for a few days you can sit and wait for me here if you would like ;-)

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Only Dead Fish do ;-)

This can be seen near the entrance to the Bamboo Labyrinth at Alnwick Garden:

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"On entering The Labyrinth there is a boulder with an encryption saying “only dead fish swim with the stream” a statement epitomising the design philosophy behind The Alnwick Garden. The four tonne boulder was hand picked from a hillside in Hulne Park place in Alnwick from an area known as the Bowling Green."

The Duchess of Northumberland adds:

“We wanted to create a place beauty which could be enjoyed by visitors throughout the year, whether it is on a dark winter’s day or summer evening. It has been created in one of the windiest parts of The Garden which means the bamboo will always be moving and rustling. We hope the combination of movement and sound will present an extraordinary vision for our visitors.

The Labyrinth also presents an unusual form of puzzle. Once you have started, the task is always to keep moving smoothly forwards, and never turn back. The whole experience is designed to amuse you and I think children will love it.”

Quotes from the Alnwick Garden Website.

My World

I thought I would change the layout of the 'My World' page on my website. That page was always intended to add random thoughts and current topics. But the way it was laid out didn't really allow for this which meant that after I created the page it just languished there without any new comments.

I think this will be a much better way to add these sort of things, I hope you like it! I have added a few images I have taken this year just to give it a bit of interest to start off with :-)

I was going to style it so it looked more like the rest of the pages, but I thought leaving it the way it is might be a bit easier on the eye!

My Space

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Contemplating Autumn

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As Seen Through New Windows!!

At last the double glazing is finished Hurrah!!!

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Pretty in Pink

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September Sunset

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Nearly Time for Dinner.

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Waving Goodbye...

...to Summer! Say Hello to Autumn!

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A Passion of Mine!!!

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Shoebox Memories

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Messing About by the Lake

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How Foot Lodge

The second place that I stayed; it was a wonderfully quiet room with a fantastic view down the garden. Evening food option here wasn't quite so convenient as you have to venture out of the guest house for that, but there are plenty of places to choose from!

You can view the rest of my holiday photos here.

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Golden Glow

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The Coach House

This is the place I stayed for the first few days of my break. It wasn't quite so restful as I would have hoped, my car decided to start playing up on the way there.

I had a good idea what the problem was and knew I had to get it fixed as soon as possible! So I had the hassle of trying to get it booked in to be checked.

The car broke down completely just as I got it to the dealership. It was the Crankshaft sensor as I suspected and the they were wonderful and fitted a part off one of the showroom models (usually you have to wait for parts to be ordered!).

I just love stopping at this place, they do wonderful breakfasts and the evening meals (which are optional) are just delicious, they even have an honesty bar so you can sit and chill out with a pre dinner drink!

You can view the rest of my holiday photos here.

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Just Waiting for Me...

...to sit and relax with a good book :-)

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Chilling in the Sun :-)

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Castle in the Sky

So this is what I managed to do this afternoon after the waiting in the morning. Wow! it was so very hot all of a sudden in the UK and I am not complaining it's lovely for a change :-)

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Happy Friday :-)

Just spent a lovely lazy day away from work ;-) This morning I chilled out at home and caught up with some flickr friends. Lunchtime I spent in the pub with friends. This afternoon a small amount of retail therapy ;-) And now a bit more flickring :-)

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Fairytale Castle

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Flights of Fancy

Trying out my limited photoshop skills!

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Lazy Saturday Morning...

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Motion Blur

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